Category: Book Review

Danielle Parkman has her hands full.  Between being an attorney and worrying and caring for her teenage son Max who has high functioning autism, as a single mom she is working both day and night.  Then Max starts to lash out and not responding the way he used to.  There is suspected drug use and as Max starts to become violent Danielle seeks professional help for him and he goes to a psychiatric facility.

When Danielle discovers Max unconscious at the facility and bloody next to Jonas, a boy he had befriended on his same floor, who has been stabbed to death, Danielle herself is arrested as an accessory to the crime.  In a whirlwind of events, Danielle works hard to prove her sons innocence, not knowing herself if he is, or if she just can not accept her son as a killer.

With the justice system bearing down on her, the true question becomes how far will a mother go to protect her son?

I have read and enjoyed several books around the topic of Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism that I have never heard of until a little over a year ago and now it seems like I am hearing and reading about it everywhere.   When I first read what this book was about I felt it sounded much like the plot for Jodi Piccoult’s recent book. House Rules, and in a small way it is.

I liked the pace of this book and while I have a couple other reads going right now I found I had to set them down in order to be supportive of Max as his mother Danielle works hard to prove her sons innocence, all the while I was holding my breath and wondering if he was innocent.

This is Antoinette’s first book and I found it to be a well written thriller.  While the book is about Max, the real character is Asperger’s and you get that through Max’s actions, not so much his words.  I found that to be an interesting part of the book and found myself longing to know what would happen next but unwilling to turn the page until I had fully read every word.

Amazon Rating (TBA) – This book will be available in book stores in late September

Book Journey has updated the 2010 reading Map to include Saving Max

Cover Story:  This is not the cover that is on my advanced copy but I like it much better than the one I have (which is pictured on my morning post prior to this post).  The cover here makes you want to know this boy and what is happening inside him.

I received my review copy from:  Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists

This is my cook book.  I am not kidding.  This is it and I knew it as soon as I read it.  This cook book was written for me and I am that person they describe in the book, the one that has oodles of cook books big and small and still doesn’t get it or if you are like me not even sure if you want to.

With a busy lifestyle – both my husband and I, we do usually do not see each other until supper time.  By that time I have probably just walked in the door maybe 30 minutes before him, tired from work, working out, running errands and now I need to think about supper.  Honestly – I don’t want to.   I have told Al (hubby) before that if it were not for him, I probably wouldn’t cook at all.  A stove top is fine for me and I do love my microwave too.

When the kids were growing up I would bake during the holidays.  Ten types of cookies, bars, Divinity, fudge, almond bark…. I would bake like this for two days – covering my kitchen counters with sweet treats and a layer of flour.  The I would not bake again for months because I burned myself out.  Cooking and baking was never something I have enjoyed – it has always been a must do.

My mom was an incredible cook.  She could open the refrigerator and mix things together that was delicious.  I open the refrigerator and see things I need to throw out.  And soon.  My mom made her own croutons and her own cranberry stuffing.  She made a cheesy broccoli soup that I am sure could not be good for anyone as rich as it was but it did not stop us all from eating it and wanting more.

I am that person that no matter what recipe I am doing, I have to go to the store.  I have to search out spices, or buy an ingredient or two.  I never have these things at home. Shoot, sometimes I have never heard of what they are asking for.

And I would say the kitchen is the room I spend the least amount of time in.  I am not someone who can stand over anything to watch it simmer….. time and again (yesterday in fact) I will boil something over or burn a pan dry because I do not have the patience to keep an eye on things.  I will no doubt start a pot of boiling water and then decide I should go fold laundry and will forget all about the water.  My husband is a saint and always has a kind word to say  when I ask, “is that a little burnt?” or “I wasn’t sure about the spices – is it too much?”

The I Hate To Cook book is filled with recipes with items I actually have.  Spices I have actually heard of and own!  And the best part is the recipes sound wonderful.  They are not recipes that you have to babysit.  You can make them and go.  AND the book is funny!  The new forward by Pegs daughter Jo is hilarious – and reading some of the recipes, you will see that Jo has inherited her mom’s sense of humor as Peg will put information in like in her recipe for Skid Road Stroganoff:

Add the flour, salt, paprika, and mushrooms, stir and let it cook five minutes while you light a cigarette and stare sullenly at the sink.

page 11, The I Hate To Cook Book

I drooled over the recipe for Sweep Steak.  I can make this and my husband will love it.  Stayabedstew?  YUM!  And I am probably making that this weekend as I have an overflowing schedule and meals haven’t even hit my radar.  Recipe after recipe I was overjoyed with the simplicity of it and the fact that it sounded so good.

I recommend this book to all people – men and women, who do not have a lot of time for the kitchen part of their home (seriously, I would rather have a three season porch there….) or the patience to create the dishes that are no doubt delicious and lovely and take hours of preparation.  I know you wonderful cooks are out there and I envy your skill, but after all these years I know I will never be there.  😀

I will be purchasing a few of these books for gifts this year.

A fun read – great recipes – so much so that I think I will be giving away a copy of this book for BBAW (starting next week!) So watch for that!  🙂

I received my copy of this book for review from Hachette Books

All women have concerns about their body that they are just too embarrassed to mention to their doctor. In “What The Yuck?!””Health Magazine” Medical Editor Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa (Dr. Raj) answers them all – ‘Could this mole be skin cancer?’ to the offbeat like ‘Can too many venti lattes (Green Tea latte made with Soy) give you a heart attack?’ and ‘Why do I get a headache when I eat chocolate cupcakes?’ Dr. Raj sheds light on even the most confusing symptoms, telling readers when not to worry, and when to see their doctor. The book also shares insider tips from Dr. Raj, fascinating factoids – such as ‘Most women have one breast that’s larger than the other’ – as well as poll results, so readers can see at a glance how many seemingly-weird body issues are actually healthy and normal. All 205 questions come from real women; they cover everyday health concerns and thoroughly modern conundrums, such as H1N1 (Swine Flu), celebrity diets, and mobile phone dangers. The book is organized by themes such as ‘That time of the month’ and ‘Between the sheets’, making it easy to navigate and irresistible to flip through. Sure to be a classic, “What The Yuck?!” is a book women of all ages will want to own.

I grabbed this book at BEA in New York earlier this year and finally just opened it up this week.  While some of the content was a bit “WHOA” for my blood… much of the book was very informative and I learned a few interesting things. I liked that the questions were answered by a woman doctor in detail.

Dr. Raj answers your questions about caffeine, spider veins, and germs on public toilets.

Q: I drink four or five cups of coffee every day, then a cappuccino at night. Is that too much caffeine?

A: Yes and no. For most people, 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine a day—about two or three cups of coffee—is fine. But more than that may cause anxiety, sleep difficulties, or irritability, as well as stomach ulcers, esophagitis (inflammation of the esophageal lining), a temporary rise in blood pressure, and reflux—all signature signs of an overdose.

Of course I had to put the coffee one in my review.  😛  Overall this book is filled with good advice of what to bring to your doctor appointments that will save you time and money, as well as answers to questions you may have that are not always the easiest to ask.   Any woman  who read this book would take away something of use or interest to them.

Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, Health Magazine Medical Editor and Today Show contributor is an attending physician at NYU Medical Center/Tisch Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. A Harvard graduate, she holds a medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and is board certified in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine.

I received my copy of this book from BEA in New York from the author

Nujood of Yamen was sold to her husband when she was the rip old age of ten.  The man she was married to was three times her age.  The promise was made to her family that her husband would not touch her until she became a woman.  A promise he did not keep.

Nujood makes a daring escape and in a voice beyond her young years, she shares her story in these pages from the marriage to seeking help from the courts, doing the unheard of in her country.  Nujood’s courage and her defiance towards her family and Yemeni customs, became an inspiration to other young girls in the Middle East.

Her story will break your heart.

As in many of the books I read, I have fellow book bloggers to thank for this one.  I picked up on this book somewhere out in the blogosphere and this one refused to let go until I had read it.  I always take read like this to heart as having walked the streets of Honduras and seeing young girls around the ages of 12 heavy with pregnancy, I can all too easy recall what it felt like to see these children growing up way too fast.  This feeling rushed over me again as I read this book.

Nujood’s story within these pages is short, I read the book in a couple of hours.  Yet don’t be fooled.  Each page is powerfully packed with the truth of her situation where in some cases what I read felt like I was being punched in the gut.  It literally took my breath away.   Which I think makes the story even stronger when you read about this young girl deciding that enough was enough and she goes and fights for her rights, in a country where ever her own mother tells her that she must obey her husband even when Nujood tells her what he is doing to her.

Be ready for a book that will take you through cruelty, abuse,hope,  courage, and triumph…. be ready for a rollercoaster of emotions.

My Amazon Rating

I borrowed this book from my local library

Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em,

but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.

Meet Jean Louise Finch, but do not call her that.  Call her Scout.  Scout is 8.  She lives with her slightly older brother Jem and her father Atticus who is a lawyer.  As they hang out and play in their neighborhood they become increasingly infatuated with a man named Boo Radley, who is 30 years old and has not been seen out of his home where he lives with for family for more years than Scout has been alive.  The imagination of Scout, Jem, and a boy named Dill get the best of them as they imagine the monster that must be Boo Radley.

Scout’s father Atticus becomes a defense attorney for a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman  in a time when that is just acceptable in the eyes of the towns people.  Scout and Jem become targets at school because of this and as the story progresses, the children see first hand the prejudices around them.

A book wrapped around the deep south, interesting and delightful characters such as Scout, Jem, and the infamous Boo, along with a father named Atticus and how his decision to defend the innocent, makes for all that is To Kill A Mockingbird.

When this book came up for the 50 Anniversary I knew I had to read it this year.  I thought I was one of the last people on earth who had not read To Kill A Mockingbird, but as the conversations came up about this book, I discovered there were a lot of people who have not read this book.

You know what else I discovered?

We are all missing something remarkable by not reading this.  I was so impressed by the writing of this book.  I can not stress that enough, Harper Lee is an amazing writer who writes with words that are just as relevant today as they were in 1960 when the book was first written.

The sixth grade seemed to please him from the beginning:  he went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me – he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other.  He declared Egyptians walked that way; I said if they did I didn’t see how they got anything done, but Jem said they accomplished more than the Americans ever did, they invented toilet paper and perpetual embalming, and asked where would we be today if they hadn’t?  Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts.  ~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 7

The words are poetic, rhythmic, I can’t even tell you how many times I was in awe of the writing, smiling to myself at how brilliantly written each line is.  Kicking myself again for thinking this would be another wordy hard to read classic that would no doubt give me a head ache before it was done.   I can not wait to see the movie!

When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake.  But don’t make a production of it.  Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ’em.  ~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 9

In the end, I feel it is safe to say that this book just reached into the elite group that holds the spots of the best books I have ever read.     Everyone needs to read this book.

I received my review copy of this book from Harper Perennial

The third and final book of the Hunger Games series, we find Katniss, the survivor of not one but two Hunger Games, homeless as her district 12  has been destroyed and many of the people she grew up with that did not escape are feared to be dead.

Katniss and her family have been moved to district 13, as well as Gale and his, a district that up until recently, was considered to not exist.  While being fed and clothed, there is not much freedom.  Katniss is still unsure if Peeta is dead or alive, tortured or well…. and this haunts her knowing whatever is fate has been because of her.

As the unrest continues to rise in Katniss, she is continuously called on to fight as a rebel – a title she is not sure she has the strength to take on….or even wants.  yet as The Capital continues to taunt her, trying to call her out she knows she and only she – can become the Mockingjay.

I have not been as excited about a book coming out since the final book of the Harry Potter Series.  On that release day, I had taken the day off of work – and waiting on my back deck for the delivery of my treasured book.  I had pre-ordered because I thought we were going to be out-of-town and did not want to miss my chance of having a book waiting for me.   Around 10 am I was cursing out the UPS man for the torture brought into my life and considering driving around to see if I could still get a copy at any of our near by books stores – when I discovered it had been delivered and was neatly tucked in between the main door and the screen door to my home.

In a word?  Bliss.

I was just as eager for Mockingjay, and maybe part of that was I remember the excitement of the Harry Potter books that to this day I have not been able to match and continuously find myself jonesing for that book or series that will take me back to where I can hardly wait to turn the page yet I am afraid to turn the page as that takes me closer tot he end….

This review will be spoiler free, as you will see below I have the spoiler button in use, all fueled up and ready to go.  That will be where you can enter to talk more deeply about this book in a safe environment – and I hope you do, as I want to talk and talk about Mockingjay.  😀

I never could make up my mind between Team Peeta and Team Gale – both had qualities I liked and I entered into this read without a strong sense of one or the other, but always the independent woman that I am – I didn’t even mind if she walked away from them both.  I know many readers would disagree with me there.  😀

The beginning of the book brings you up to speed as to where we are all at this time.  A few things have happened between books – and Katniss is torn as to what to do now.  Her family is safe, but at what cost?  She is being asked to play yet another role that she is not sure she wants any part of – at 17 she is tired and broken.

I enjoyed how Susanne Collins starts the book, while it is a bit slow and filled with details that may bother the eager reader, I didn’t mind it as I didn’t really want it to end.  And no worries, there is plenty of action, plenty of old characters and new and when the book takes off – we are all literally on the run.

There are surprises along the way and that is what I will discuss more in the spoiler section.  I highly recommend the series and encourage you if you have not already to get your hands on Hunger Games and find out for yourself the magic within this series.  I like books that are not cookie cutter copies of a story that I have already read and Suzanne Collins really takes this series out of the typical ring and makes it unique and memorable.

Want to talk more about Mockingjay?  Click the button below and lets chat!

My Amazon Rating

I purchased my copy through Amazon